Lincoln LS Coil Springs

Diagnosing Your Lincoln Ls Coil Spring

Your Lincoln Ls coil spring is responsible for keeping your vehicle cushioned as it cruises over rough roads. Without it, you might lose control of your car when you're driving over uneven surfaces, bumps, and potholes. To prevent this kind of accident from happening to you, look out for three common symptoms of a bad coil spring.

Clunking noise

If you can hear a clunking noise from the front end, then a coil spring might be broken. The sound will likely be heard when you hit bumps or when you corner abruptly. If ignored, this could cause steering problems and greatly reduce the quality of your ride. Visually inspect each coil spring so you will know if any of them is broken.

Low vehicle ride height

If you notice your car sagging on one end or its ride height looking too low, then the coil spring might be worn out. To check the ride height, measure how high your car is on each side. Don't do an eyeball estimate; measure the ride height accurately, using a measuring tape or ruler. Even small differences in height on opposite sides of your car can severely affect your vehicle's performance. After measuring, check the ride height specifications for the suspension by referring to the Lincoln Ls owner's manual. If the measured ride height is below the specifications, then the coil springs must be replaced as soon as possible. Continuing to drive when the car's ride height is lower than required will affect the vehicle's steering and handling ability.

Other troubleshooting tips

To easily verify any problems that your car's coil spring may have, follow these tips:

When listening for a clunking noise, turn off the air conditioner and stereo so you can hear for any foreign sound easier. Take your car out for a short drive somewhere that has obstacles. Look for rough roads that would cause the vehicle to bounce such as speed bumps, small potholes, or dips in the road.

While driving over an obstacle, do it slowly, staying alert for any excessive bounce in the front or in the rear. The excessive bounce would mean that the coil spring, or even the whole suspension itself, is bad.

When doing a visual inspection of your car's coil springs, raise the vehicle using a hydraulic jack. Shine a flashlight in the wheel well so you can see the component better.

Three Ways to Restore Your Old Lincoln Ls Coil Spring 04 March 2014

Your Lincoln Ls coil spring compensates for irregularities on the road in order to keep the suspension system at a predetermined height and support the car's weight. Because this component is important for your comfort and your vehicle's handling, you have to keep it in top shape. However, it's inevitable for a coil spring to wear overtime. Thankfully, there are some ways to lengthen its lifespan.

Stiffening

Stiffening the Lincoln LS coil spring depends on the circumstance and your desired result. Some owners tend to do this in order to compensate for sagging. When a coil spring starts sagging, the car would most likely bottom out when it passes over rough surfaces. Others also stiffen their vehicle's coil springs to enhance their handling characteristics.

To stiffen your car's coil spring, install a spring spreader between the coils. When the vehicle is supported with jack stands, its coil springs should be unloaded and are hanging free. Their position should make it easy for you to slide the spring spreader right in.

Heat-treating

Your car's coil springs are made of a steel that is carefully and thoroughly heat-treated to give the most amount of spring with the longest durability. Further heat-treating the component's material will change its density. This process can make the coil spring either harder and less springy or softer and more compressible.

To harden the spring, leave it in a small campfire for one to two hours and then completely submerge it in a bucket of oil until it cools.

To soften the spring, let it burn out in the fire naturally. Don't pour water or extinguish the fire. Because of this, it's better to contain the campfire in a steel drum so the flames won't spread. Only take out the spring 24 hours after the fire burns out or once it has completely cooled.

Painting

Because of their vulnerable place in the suspension system, your car's coil springs are easily exposed to a lot of dirt, moisture, and mud over the course of your Lincoln's life. Which is why over time, the components become scratched, faded, and rusty. To restore a worn coil spring's efficiency, it is only normal to strip and repaint it as part of routine maintenance. To easily perform this task, here are some tips:

Take off the coil springs' old paint completely before cleaning and painting.

Use white spirit poured onto a lint-free rag to clean the component. This will ensure that the spring will be completely free of oil and residue.